Hi, I'm Ashley!
I’ve played board games and card games since childhood and the benefits you can unlock through playing together are far-reaching and long-lasting. I’ve certainly experienced many throughout my life so I put together Tabletop Trainees to share as many of these as I can with you.
Board games are games, yes, and the primary purpose is to have fun! However, these games have so much more to them. Every game is a chance to gather a group of friends and loved ones together. What better time to deepen the connections you have? You can learn more about acquaintances, new friends, or dear loved ones. The shared memories create a lasting bond you can carry with you.
And all that fun you’re having? Whether the game is educational or not, most games build executive skills, socio-emotional skills, or even sneaky educational skills. Skills like resource allocation, risk assessment, working memory, communication, planning, prioritization, and conflict resolution get a lot of use during board games. All of those skills translate well to real-life situations, even if you aren’t familiar with every one of them. It’s like getting extra credit for having fun.
Every group plays a little differently, based on the players, the games they enjoy, and what experience is most important to them. My family, both the one I grew up in and the one I’m raising now, plays in a way that focuses heavily on building relationships with loved ones and improving at the games we play. I want to share the chances to maximize those relationships and skills so that you can get the most out of playing together.
Will playing always be easy? No. No, it will not. You’ll hit plenty of snags along the way. Anything from not owning games for the right number of players, to having large age gaps or skill gaps among your players, to conflict over what game to play or how to interpret the rules. But I’ve gained fond memories, lifetime inside jokes, and a sense of joy that’s lasted from my childhood and will continue into my future.
So I’m here to share as many solutions as I’ve found to these problems with you so that you can experience the joys and benefits of playing games with your loved ones.